Racist Attacks against Latino Immigrant Teens in Spain

Police Brutality in Madrid

October 30th, 2007

On October 29th two 14 year old teens of Peruvian origin were stopped by the police in Madrid for riding a motorbike without helmets. The teens show wounds and told the media that the police had hit them and made a set of xenophobic remarks. The case is under investigation, the police department denies the incident.

Probably this case of police brutality made it into the Spanish TV only after a famous racist attack against a young Latina has brought the issue of racism to the national public sphere.

Racist Attack against Immigrant Teen on Barcelona’s Subway

On October 7th, 2007 a young Spanish man of 21 years boarded a train while taking on his cell phone boasting about having hit a “moro” or Arabic man.

Suddenly and without any provocation, he started attacking a 16 year old teen from Ecuador calling her "Zorra inmigrante de mierda", y "no sé para qué vienen estos inmigrantes de mierda" *&# while hitting and kicking her while still on the phone. An Argentinean man who witnessed the scene but did not intervened fearing for his safety.

The security camera at the train caught the whole scene. Video at:
http://www.elpais.com/videos/espana/Detenido/hombre/agredio/joven/ecuatoriana/metro/Barcelona/elpepuesp/20071022elpepunac_11/Ves/

On October 19th the civil police found and arrested the man but despite having a record of violence and robbery, he was set free pending a trial. He later told the press that he was drunk and that he did not remember much.
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/sociedad/joven/agredio/tren/menor/ser/ecuatoriana/dice/le/fue/olla/elpepusoc/20071023elpepusoc_4/Tes

Following the incident the Ecuadorian President and Minister of Foreign Affairs asked the government to punish this act while visiting the country. The President was careful to say that this was an isolated incident and that the Spanish generally give a good reception to Ecuadorians.

The victim has stated that the man was not drunk and she is afraid of going, and even about talking further about the issue.

According to El País, on October 28th a protest in La Puerta del Sol gather half a million people demonstrating against racism in Spain and condemning the attack to the young Ecuadorian.


Links

Torres, Victoria. "Me dijo: "Sudaca de mierda, delincuente, te voy a dar la paliza de tu vida." El Pais. Octubre 30, 2007
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/madrid/dijo/Sudaca/mierda/delincuente/voy/dar/paliza/vida/elpepuespmad/20071030elpmad_6/Tes

Reforma. Revelan los insultos de racista catalán. Reforma Octubre 27, 2007.
http://busquedas.gruporeforma.com/reforma/Documentos/DocumentoImpresa.aspx?ValoresForma=924742-1066,ataque+racista+en+barcelona ?DocId=924742-1066&strr=ataque racista en barcelona


García, Jesús. Agresión racista en un tren de Barcelona. El País. Octubre 22, 2007.
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/sociedad/Agresion/racista/tren/Barcelona/elpepusoc/20071022elpepusoc_8/Tes

BBC News
http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7060006.stm

Report in English
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/europe/news/article_1368698.php/Latin_America_angry_over_&quotracist%22_attack_in_Spain__Roundup_